<p>I'd like some recommendations on a good tap shoe for men. I've got lots of experience buying dance shoes for my daughter but I'd appreciate some advice on tap shoes for guys. What shoe has worked well for you? THANKS!!</p>
<p>cbs57,</p>
<p>My Ss both took tap for 5 years...currently their shoes are in storage. If my memory is clear I believe that had good luck with Capezio. I think it's more in the tap plate that counts. The guys always had tele tone plates...they seemed to have the better sound. Of course that's our opinion.</p>
<p>I think their most favorite shoe was the tapsneaker....it gave them lots of flexiblity.</p>
<p>Sue aka 5pants</p>
<p>cbs57</p>
<p>My son went w/ the same as 5pants' boys for several years - no complaints. Good luck and have fun listening to the practice!</p>
<p>My S liked a slip on bootie tap-Capezio or Bloch with teletone taps worked great. The sneakers are fine too, he just liked the convenience of slipping on the shoes-particularly when he was in a show and had a quick change necessary. Hope this helps.</p>
<p>Go to dancingfair.com Their signatures are a really good shoe. If you're serious and want a really good sound you should have the modified with an extra level. It makes the shoe heavier, easier to hit, and sounds awesome.</p>
<p>While we're at it... How bout jazz shoes? Where's a place to find a good deal on pair of 13.5 soft-sole jazz shoes?</p>
<p>And I guess jazz pants as well (sites say for audition attire you should be wearing jazz pants). Dancing is not my strength, and I havne't had much dance training (besides in shows and one month of jazz). So I don't have soft-soled jazz shoes nor dance pants (hah, that rhymes).</p>
<p>Thanks!
Kyle</p>
<p>kyle style,</p>
<p>Just to give you a head's up, you will probably need a dance belt also. Best to take care of that now too.</p>
<p>If I were you I wouldn't try to buy jazz shoes or a belt online. See if you can find a good dance store near you so that you are properly fitted for shoes. They can also help you with a belt.</p>
<p>Best wishes!! :)</p>
<p>SUE aka 5pants</p>
<p>Kyle style,</p>
<p>I agree with Sue about being properly fitted for the dance shoes because they tend to not always be true to size. But if you are looking for a discount, you can checkout discountdance.com. They have a large selection at good prices. You may even be able to get fitted in the dance store by you and if you get the style # you can check to see if discount dance has the same one. Your local store may even match your price from the discount dance catalog. Mine does!</p>
<p>I have a related question, what are mens character shoes?</p>
<p>srw,</p>
<p>These are standard oxford type shoes (dress shoes). Kind of like tap shoes with out the tele-tone taps.</p>
<p>SUE aka 5pants</p>
<p>Sue, Got it! It's what I thought, but wasn't sure.
Thanks!</p>
<p>Best tap shoes, hands down, are the Capezio K360's (I believe that's the number). I may be wrong on the exact model, but these are the tap shoes that are used by Savion Glover and are widely recognized as some of the best men's character shoes out there. Be prepared to pay a BIG sum of money (with student discount mine were 180$), if you want to go a little cheaper but still good quality, LaDuca's are good as well. Get the taps put on by a professional, also, this will help your shoes last. Hope this helps!</p>
<p>I second the praise for the Capezio K360. They'll last you a very long time and are incredibly comfortable. However, to get the whole set-up, it'll cost you about $250 from the Capezio store. Some people like a build-up which could cost you another $50. They have the shoes themselves, without build-up or taps on some discount dance sites for upwards of $140. Also, if you want some very professional shoes, the Laducas are very popular on Broadway. They're known for allowing the foot to point well. However, because they're so flexible, it's difficult to get the support to go up on your toes if necessary. They're also about the same price and can be purchased at the Laduca store in NYC or some other dance shops.</p>
<p>I'm nearly positive the Capezio discussed above is what we recently bought for my son, with the build-up and all. We don't live near a specialty store, so we ordered them online, and yes, they are very expensive! I also think he got this recommendation on shoes from the incredible tap teacher at Elon. Before that recommendation, he was thinking of ordering the Laduca, recommended by his dance studio. I'm sure they are both very good.</p>
<p>He has the shoes with him at BTP, so I'm unable to verify this at the moment.</p>
<p>It also depends on what you need the taps for. Like I have been tapping for almost 3 years now and I just bought my first nice pair of taps (Capezio K360). I had been using the basic capezio ones which are like tap training shoes. They have worked just fine for tap classes and the few shows I was in that had tap...but now that I'm tapping even more...I decided to go with a nicer pair. You don't really need to spend the money until you are seriously tapping.</p>